Typically, home entertainment subscribers, such as, for example, subscribers to cable network home entertainment, connect multiple televisions to cable network connections throughout the home. A typical home entertainment system may include a single, primary television connected to a set-top box (STB) to receive high definition programming via the cable network, while other televisions in the home connect directly to the cable network and may only receive a limited number of high definition channels. Each of the televisions cannot necessarily access media being presented at the other televisions. For example, a television connected directly to the cable network cannot access high definition media that is available to the television connected to the STB. Additionally, the televisions connected directly to the cable network may not receive other types of media that may be accessed at the television connected to the STB. For example, if the STB includes a digital video recorder (DVR), the recorded television programming stored on the DVR is only accessible via the television connected to the STB, and not to the other televisions connected directly to the cable network.
The RVU (pronounced “R-view”) protocol specification has been introduced in the home entertainment industry to enable television viewers to watch live or recorded television programming, or other types of media, on any television within the home, while at the same time experiencing a consistent user interface. With the RVU protocol specification, RVU-compliant televisions (i.e., RVU clients) are networked in the home with an RVU server. Once networked, viewers can watch the same or different content from any television in the home. For example, a viewer can access live high-definition programming from any of the televisions in the home, and can record and play back high-definition programming from any of the televisions. Additionally, the viewer can access personal media content, and interact with interactive applications from any of the televisions. The RVU protocol's system is based on a client-server architecture in which the server distributes and manages content and a consistent user interface to one or many client devices, such as televisions. The RVU clients can connect to programming that can be recorded or watched live, and can also access pictures, home movies, and/or other personal content from connected storage devices. All of the content may be accessed from anywhere inside the home, allowing multiple viewers in different rooms to view the same or different content from the RVU server simultaneously.